Heartless
by Green Flame
Summary: A story about Cloud, trying to find out his past, and Leon trying to find his love. Story actually sounds better than that becauseI sux at smmr. CH 6 UP! PG-13 for language and a little blood. Pls R
1. How Things Are

Hola! This is just a Kingdom Hearts fanfic I just started working on. The two main characters are Leon and Cloud. NOTE: This fanfic does not follow the story line of the Final Fantasy games that Leon and Cloud are in, because I don't really know what happened in those games I just started playing them. It takes place during Kingdom Hearts. But I just really wanted to put this fic up. Please be nice and review to tell me how I did. Gracious! ^-^  
  
Key: 7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7 = Cloud's story 8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8 = Leon/Squall's story /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ = Time change _______*______ = Beginning/End of chapter  
  
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Cloud walked down the endless dirt road. Trees to either side of him, nothing to see up ahead, nothing to see back behind. He liked being alone, anyways. But he just wished he could find some civilization. Cloud stopped walking and sat against a tree. He sighed and looked up at the sky, and recalled why he had set out traveling.  
  
He wanted to remember. He wasn't one to reflect on memories, but something had started itching the back of his head lately. It had occurred to him that he couldn't remember his past, but lately something inside him told him to find out what it was. He also faintly recalled that he used to have a traveling partner. Maybe even someone he was close to, if he even dared to think about that. So that was why Cloud had set out.  
  
But, besides finding who ever this "mystery person" was and remembering what he used to do, he had also set out to find out about his curse.  
  
In Cloud's opinion, he was doubly cursed. The first curse was not being able to remember what he used to be. Used to be. He was quite sure he wasn't the same as he had always been. That was because of his second curse. For some reason, Cloud had a wing. A black wing, too. Like some demon's. The wing only gave Cloud a disadvantage, except for in fighting, and he was sure that it was the purpose he was now trying to uncover forgotten memories.  
  
Cloud picked himself off the ground and continued walking. As he said before, he didn't like to reflect on memories.  
  
Something to the right of him in the trees moved. Cloud stopped, and turned towards the trees. Suddenly, three Big Body Heartless shook their way out of the forest and confronted Cloud, ready to fight.  
  
"To bad, you caught me when I was really pissed." Cloud retorted to their challenge, and took out his sword. He softly chanted a spell that made his wing come out, and flew up into the air, ready to strike.  
  
You had to feel sorry for the Heartless.  
  
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It was night in Traverse Town. But then again, it was always night in Traverse Town. The stars shone brightly as they always did. The First District was deserted, all the lights out, for it really was the time when people slept. Well, First District was deserted except for one person.  
  
Leon sat on the front steps of the First District, gazing up at the stars. But he wasn't really looking at the stars. He was lost in his own world, remembering how things used to be.  
  
He saw remembering his past. But mostly, he was remembering Rinoa. Just her name brought up a lot of memories. Some felt good, but in the end it all lead to more sorrow for Leon. Rinoa. Rinoa was the one girl who had made it all complete for him. He had always felt weird around her, amazed at her carefree attitude. She was the only person he had ever been interested in, and they had made a promise. Back at the academy. But she broke it.  
  
----------------------------------------- Flashback ------------------------ ----------------------------  
  
Leon, or Squall as it was back then, and Seifer walked up the steps back to the SeeD academy. They had won the final battle. They had set things right again. All their training had paid off. And there she was, at the top of the stairs, Rinoa Heartilly. Looking as beautiful as ever. She had promised she would wait, and she did.  
  
Squall stopped up the steps halfway and leaned against the railing. He looked up at Rinoa, and her eyes sparkled back at him. It was to bad that they had never told each other about their feelings. They had come close just once. But no, never the words Squall longed to say - I love you. Seifer, however, continued to the top of the steps, where he was greeted by the Headmistress.  
  
As Squall watched, Seifer received an Honor award for winning the big battle. Squall would get one later, right now he just wanted to relax. But then, something strange happened. Rinoa looked straight into Seifer's eyes, and he held her close. And then, right before Squall's eyes, they shared a lover's kiss.  
  
Squall just stood there, leaning against the railing, watching the one girl he loved share a kiss with the man he had just fought alongside. It was as if Rinoa didn't even notice him. After a few minutes, however, he regained his normal posture and I-don't-care expression. He did, after all, have a lone wolf reputation.  
  
He walked off, away from the group, with a grunt that said, "I don't care about two lovers." But inside, for the first time, his heart broke.  
  
-------------------------------------- End Flashback ----------------------- ---------------------------  
  
Leon stayed still on the First District steps. He would never in his life forget that moment. The moment when he was punished by the one he loved. He had tried to forget it, leave it in the past, it was even part of the reason he had changed his name. But no, it stuck. He was especially remembering it more lately for some reason. It really made him depressed.  
  
He also remembered when his world was swallowed by darkness. He had tried to save people when it happened, even Rinoa, but he got blown away to Traverse Town before that could happen.  
  
Leon looked at the stars again. He wondered to himself; "I wonder where she is now?"  
  
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That was the first chapter! More to come soon! Umm, I'm not really Spanish, I just have Mid-Terms coming up and I have to practice. Anyways, I forgot to do the disclaimer! I do not own ANYTHING, GOT IT? Ok, there we go. PLEASE REVIEW!!!!! PRETTY PLEASE!!!! Thanks. ^_^ 


	2. Surrounded by the Darkness

Hello again! Oh lookie, I got 3 reviews! Yay! But, actually that isn't much. I am glad though that there are at least 3 people reading this fic. This is chapter 2. And it is LONGER than chapter 1. Sorry to keep you waiting (only 4 days tho ) but I had to get somewhere in Kingdom Hearts in order to do this chapter. I will say tho that I will not write chapter 3 untill I get at least 5 more reviews. Sorry ^_^0. Well, please enjoy the chapter, and don't forget to review so I know people are reading!  
  
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Cloud continued down the dirt road. The sun shone brightly, and the trees swayed back and forth with their bright green leaves in the wind. Birds chirped. The atmosphere seemed cheery. But all of this was ignored by Cloud. In his mind, he blocked all of it out and focused on his mission: to find out about his past.  
  
The Heartless that had attacked him earlier had been disposed of in a few swift strikes. It had come to no surprise to Cloud; he had been training vigorously in the past few weeks. His strength had grown increasingly strong. He now possessed more power than he ever had. He doubted much could bring him down now.  
  
But still . . .  
  
Cloud knew he had to be on his guard. He continued his normal pace down the road that never seemed to end. By chance, he glanced up at the sky. A confused expression appeared on his face, and he stopped walking and continued to look at the sky. What had been a bright sunny day before was now being replaced by dark clouds. The birds stopped chirping and the wind became a little stronger. Cloud tensed up. This was not normal.  
  
Suddenly, at Cloud's feet, a black pool of darkness appeared, Cloud noticed and looked down at it - but to late. He was already surrounded in the weird stuff. He could feel himself sinking down in the strange liquid of darkness, and it didn't feel like the bottom was anywhere close. This had to be the work of a force like the Heartless.  
  
Cloud was sinking fast. Already his head was below surface, and he continued sinking. He tried to swim back up, but it seemed to have no effect, and it drained his energy for some reason. Cloud couldn't figure out what was going on. All his energy had left his body now. He could do nothing but look up at the light shining down from the surface. Something in his head pulled a trigger. He remembered memories from when he had met Sora.  
  
------------------------------------- Flashback ---------------------------- ---------------------------  
  
Sora, Donald and Goofy did a bunch of victory dances from their last battle. From a distance away, Hades and Cloud were watching.  
  
"That little punk is your next opponent, okay?" Hades asked Cloud, watching the three. "Now don't blow it. Just take him out."  
  
Cloud kept his cool posture, leaning against the wall. "The great god of the Underworld is afraid of a kid?" Cloud asked in amazement. "Sorry, but my contract says -"  
  
Hades got a little angry. "I know! You think I don't know?! I wrote the contract! I know it says you're only required to kill Hercules in this tournament. But you've gotta fight that kid to get to him. Come on."  
  
Cloud looked over at Sora, who was now getting scolded by Phil. His two friends were behind him.  
  
"Hey, it's like that old goat says:" Hades continued, talking about Phil. "Rule 11: It's all just a game, so let loose and have fun with it!" Hades threw a few fake punches to get his point across.  
  
"I mean, a casualty or two along the way is no big deal, right? Hades asked.  
  
Cloud still wasn't sure. Sora was just a kid. It didn't seem right. But hey, this is what he was getting paid to do. He got off the wall and walked toward the arena.  
  
------------------------------------- End Flashback ------------------------ -------------------------  
  
Cloud pulled out of his phased-out state. But he was so tired. He looked up. The light at the surface was so far away. And there was nothing he could do . . .  
  
--------------------------------------- Flashback -------------------------- -------------------------  
  
Cloud sat outside the Coliseum on the steps. Sora and his pals walked over.  
  
"Hey, are you alright?" Sora asked, probably feeling a little awkward.  
  
Cloud looked up at him. "Yeah."  
  
"So, why did you go along with him anyway?" Sora asked.  
  
Cloud rested his head on his hands. "I'm looking for someone. Hades promised to help." He said, eyes closed. Sora, Donald and Goofy listened.  
  
"I tried to exploit the power of darkness, but it backfired." Cloud said, getting up. He looked at the sky. "I fell into darkness, and I couldn't find the light."  
  
"You'll find it." Sora said reassuringly. Cloud looked down at him. "I'm searching, too." Sora continued.  
  
The two stared at each other. "For your light?" Cloud asked. Sora nodded. Cloud gave a slight nod back and walked up to him. "Don't lose sight of it." He said, extending his arm to give Sora something. He dropped it into Sora's hand, and started walking away.  
  
Sora turned to face him. "How about a rematch sometime? Fair and square, no dark powers involved." Sora called to Cloud.  
  
Cloud stopped walking and turned towards Sora. He flicked his bangs. "I think I'll pass."  
  
------------------------------------ End Flashback ------------------------- ---------------------------  
  
Cloud again snapped out of it. He was so far below surface now. Still sinking. His sword trailed down after him. He had almost lost conciseness. Cloud looked up one last time at the tiny speck of light that was the surface. In his mind, he could only manage one thought before sinking down . . . down . . . down . . . 'Where is my light?'  
  
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Leon sat still looking up at the stars. He had no idea how long he had been outside, but he didn't care. It he wanted to, he would stay up all night. This was a nice time when nobody else was up. Of course, he could be alone during the day, too. Nobody was ever outside in the Second District. Sometimes he would go and sit up on the bell tower all alone. But the lights in that area never went off, and occasionally a person would walk by. Of course, if Leon ever wanted to be totally alone, he could go to the Third District. No one ever went to the Third District, simply because there wasn't anything there. Nothing but big open space. And Leon liked it, a lot. His reputation as the lone wolf was coming up lately.  
  
Leon snapped out of his thoughts. Why was he thinking about places to go to be alone? He didn't know. His mind trailed off sometimes. . .  
  
He looked back up at the stars. Something behind him made a noise. Leon turned and looked, but didn't see anything. He dismissed it as nothing. Nobody had better bother him now, or they'd be in for it. Leon turned back to daydreaming. But then, he heard more sounds behind him. Footsteps this time, running. Leon once again turned to see what it was. He was surprised when Yuffie turned up at the top of the steps. She had been the one running.  
  
"Leon!" Yuffie called. She had stopped at the top of the steps to catch her breath. Leon could tell by her voice though, something was wrong. She was calling out to warn him, but warn him of what? He looked around. There! A Heartless! Over in that corner. He hadn't noticed it before.  
  
Leon stood up and took out his Gunblade. He posed, ready to attack whenever the Heartless was.  
  
"No! Leon! Look down!" Yuffie called out again. Leon was caught by surprise at this, but he looked down.  
  
What was that? There was some kind of weird black stuff around his feet. Leon tried to step back, but the stuff would not let him go and rooted him there. The stuff was like liquid, Leon realized, and it had him surrounded. He knew that this must be the work of Heartless. He had seen stuff identical to this when his world was swallowed by darkness.  
  
Suddenly, to Leon's horror, he began to sink down into the darkness. No, he wasn't sinking, he was being pulled down. He looked for something to grab, to hold on to, but there was nothing. Before he knew it, his head was under.  
  
"Leon!" Yuffie ran down to where her friend had been standing only moments ago. The dark liquid was now closing up, like it had taken what it had come for and was now leaving. By the time Yuffie had gotten to the spot, the circle had completely closed up. Not a trace of it was left.  
  
"No! Leon! Squall!" Yuffie pounded her fist into the stone floor where her friend had been standing. It was as if the liquid had just dragged Leon into the floor. But she knew it had most likely taken him to another world. Still she pounded the floor. "Squall! Squall! Squall. Squall. . ." Eventually she sopped. She just couldn't believe what had just happened. She sat ton the ground, defeated.  
  
Meanwhile, Leon continues to sink down. As he looked up, he saw the surface close up. He was sealed in. He knew it would be foolish to try and swim back up. He could only go now wherever this darkness took him. But the darkness was absorbing his energy, Leon could feel it.  
  
As Leon grew weaker, he once again took the time to remember. . .  
  
----------------------------------------- Flashback ------------------------ -----------------------------  
  
Squall stood in the middle of a large field. Many wildflowers had grown in it, and the day was sunny and perfect. The wind blew gently. Besides Squall was Rinoa.  
  
Squall was leaving to fight in the big battle the next day. He had come to Rinoa to tell her he was leaving. She had already known.  
  
The wind blew again, sending petals into the air. Squall looked into Rinoa's eyes.  
  
"How about we make a promise?" Rinoa asked.  
  
" . . .Okaaay." Squall said, sounding confused. But inside his heart was pounding.  
  
"I promise to wait for you when you come back. I'll be waiting right here." Rinoa said, and looked at Squall. He gave a nod. "And you have to promise that no matter what, you will come back." She finished.  
  
Squall smiled. "Sure, I promise."  
  
----------------------------------- End Flashback -------------------------- ---------------------------  
  
Leon remembered her promise. But all his strength was gone now. He could do nothing but sink down. At last, he blacked out.  
  
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o_O Okay that was long. But I'm DOOOOONE!!! ^_^! I also realize that I have WAY to many "Flashbacks." I don't like flashbacks. It sounds corny.. Anyways, PLEASE REVIEW. I DO NOT WANT TO HAVE TYPED ALLL THAT FOR NOTHING!!!!! Thanks ^_^ 


	3. Dreaming of you

Hey there. I know I said I would wait until I got at least 5 new reviews, but I couldn't help myself. Plus I know someone who is pestering me to get this chapter up. Umm, oh yeah, a couple of things. 1, for anyone who is wondering, this fic takes place around, lets say, when Sora is halfway done with Monstro and still has to do Atlantica, Halloween Town, and Neverland. For those who don't know what I'm talking about it doesn't matter. 2, I stopped using the word "flashback." Yay!!! Anyways, in this chapter Tifa, Aeris and Barret appear a little. Alright, thanks for the review. On with the fic!  
  
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Cloud didn't know how long he had been sinking in this darkness. He did know, however, that it was still sucking up his energy. At this rate he would lose conciseness in only a few minutes. It also occurred to him that he couldn't breath, but it didn't seem to matter in this stuff. He didn't feel like he needed to breath. The last of his energy left Cloud's body, and he blacked out.  
  
He had a dream:  
  
Cloud opened his eyes and looked around. He was sitting in a cell, like one in a prison. He looked outside past the bars. To his shock, the outside world seemed to be split into two different views:  
  
On the left was the inside of a house. No, it looked like more than just a house, it was a small bar. The bar was empty except for a girl cleaning up and doing small chores. The girl had long brown hair and deep brown eyes. She was wearing a white tank top and black pants. She didn't seem to notice Cloud at all, and just went along tidying things up. Cloud had a strange feeling that all this was familiar, though.  
  
On the right was a dark street in a city. The place looked very polluted, and the tall dark buildings only added to that look. Very few people were out, but there was a girl on the street. She was selling flowers, roses to be exact. She had long brown hair in a braid, and blue eyes. She wore a long pink dress. She too didn't notice Cloud, but offered flowers to a man who walked by. Cloud felt that he had also been here.  
  
Cloud walked up to the bars so that he could see both girls. "Hey, could you help me out of here?" He asked both, but neither girl noticed him. He tried pulling on the bars, but nothing seemed to work. He walked back over to the wall of the cell and sat down with a grunt.  
  
In is head, he tried to sort out what was happening. But no matter how he looked at it, he couldn't seem to make sense of anything. And it was strange how familiar both of those girls looked. When he looked at them, something itched at the back of his head. It was like his brain was trying to remember something, but it was locked away in an airtight safe. And it was driving him crazy.  
  
Something caught his attention. He looked up over to where the noise came from. The flower girl! She had come over to the outside of the cell.  
  
"Hello Mr." She greeted Cloud as he walked up to her. She showed him her flower basket. "Would you like to buy a flower? They're very rare here and I'm selling them cheap."  
  
Cloud stood there and thought about it. Why would he want to buy a flower? It wasn't like him to. But there was something about that girl. Again, he felt some forgotten memory pulling at his brain. What was it? He tried to concentrate . . .  
  
Suddenly the flower girl gasped. Cloud snapped out of it and looked around, alerted for some kind of danger. But the girl was staring at him with a terrified face. She was looking at him like he was some kind of hideous monster. With a scream, she threw the basket of roses at him and turned to run. "You can have them, just keep away!" She yelled. The basket hit the bars of the cage and some roses spilled in.  
  
Cloud could only stand in shock and watch the girl run away from him. He didn't understand it. And he certainly didn't expect that sudden outburst. He quickly checked to see if his wing was hidden and out of sight, but it couldn't be seen with the spell Cloud had put on it to make it stay hidden until he needed it. So he stood confused until he regained his normal attitude. 'What was that all about?' He thought in his head.  
  
Cloud decided to shrug it off for the time being. But the flower girl noticing him did give him hope. Maybe that other girl would notice him too, and he could get out of this cell.  
  
He walked over to the left side of the bars. He tried calling to the girl inside the house. "Umm . . . Hello? Excuse me, I need help." The girl just continued with her cleaning. Cloud frowned, and began to feel alone again. "Please!" He begged. "Help me . . ."  
  
Suddenly the girl stopped cleaning and looked straight up at cloud. Cloud looked surprised and hoped desperately that she could see him. She looked so familiar that Cloud was sure that they had met before. The girl was walking up to him now, and Cloud reached out between the bars.  
  
She looked at him with shining eyes. He read her expression. It was like she was seeing in front of her something she would not believe, but had desperately hoped for. " . . . Cloud?" She asked.  
  
Cloud almost did a double take. She knew his name!  
  
The girl continued to stare at him with questioning eyes. But the suddenly, she looked down. "Oh, I'm sorry. You're not Cloud, are you?" She sighed in a sad way.  
  
"No wait! Yes! I'm Cloud!" Cloud yelled, trying to get the girl back over to him. But it was as it he had disappeared from her world again. She couldn't hear him.  
  
"No . . ." Cloud gave up again. He needed her to hear him. He walked over to the cell wall and sat down again. Trying to look for something that would get her attention again, Cloud suddenly spotted the roses. The roses! Maybe that would work. He ran up and grabbed one of the roses that had slipped between the bars.  
  
Walking back up to the house, Cloud stuck the flower between the bars. He couldn't take this alone feeling anymore. And the feeling of trying to remember. "Hey, please. I'll give this to you if you help me out of here." Cloud asked. "Or just talk to me again."  
  
The girl paused, and turned towards Cloud again. She walked up and looked at the rose. "Oh, how beautiful." She commented. She took the rose and held it delicately in her hands. Then she walked over to a table and sat down at it, looking at the flower. Cloud gazed at her, not knowing what to do. But then the girl started to break down crying. Cloud looked confused, but then to his horror both the outside worlds faded to black.  
  
He couldn't see her anymore. He couldn't see anything outside anymore. There was nothing, nothing outside but darkness. And Cloud felt cold and alone again.  
  
He grabbed the bars and shook them with all his might, but nothing happened. "All right! That's it! I've had enough of this!" He grabbed his giant sword and swung it against the bars. Sparks flew. Still no opening. He tried again, only this time on the wall. More sparks. But he just struck the wall over and over until . . . A crack!  
  
Cloud couldn't believe it. It was just a small crack, but if he struck it some more he should be able to open it a little bit wider. So that's what he did. He aimed his sword at the crack and swing with all his might. After doing this a few more times the crack was big enough for Cloud to look through. He walked up and put his eye up to the crack. He was surprised by what he saw.  
  
On the other side of the wall was another house. But there was no girl this time. Instead, a big tough-looking guy sat on a chair by a table. The man had a gun installed in his right arm. Cloud was surprised by this, but again he felt something familiar about this man. The more he looked at him, the more his head began to hurt. It was all so confusing!  
  
Suddenly, a big blast came from the crack. Cloud yelled, as his face had been right up to it, and was thrown back. This caused him more confusement, and his head continued to hurt. As he tried to figure out what just happened, flashes of the flower girl, the other girl and the man speed through his head, along with feelings he couldn't place or remember. He couldn't concentrate. It was pushing him to insanity. Holding his head, all he could do was let out a terrifying scream. . .  
  
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Leon slowly opened his eyes. He blinked and looked around. Where was he? He knew he wasn't in that strange liquid anymore, and he knew he was awake now.  
  
Leon stood up. The first thing he did was make sure he had his weapon the Gunblade with him. It had been lying on the ground next to him. He picked it up. Then he looked around. He appeared to be in a very large room, although he couldn't tell how large because there were no lights or windows. But he did have a weird sense that felt like even if he could find a door, he wouldn't be able to open it. He could feel the Heartless' presence.  
  
Leon decided to sit down and make a plan. As he sat against a wall, he couldn't help but remember:  
  
He was in that field again, with all the flowers. And with Rinoa.  
  
"I'll be waiting." Rinoa said.  
  
"Waiting? Waiting for what?"  
  
"For you to return. I'll wait right here." Rinoa said.  
  
"For you." Rinoa said.  
  
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
  
Leon couldn't believe it. She was gone . . .  
  
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YAY!!!! I'M DONE!!! Looked longer on paper though . . . Anyways, sorry Leon's part was so short. I just need a break . . . Please read and review! ^_^ 


	4. Tracking them down

Hola! Once more I am writing! Two chapters in one day. Oh yeah! Look at me! I'm cool! Er, sorry. This is a SHORTer chapter though because I'm tired of typing. Anyway, this chapter is just about Yuffie.  
  
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Yuffie sat with her head on her knees on the bed. She watched silently as Aerith paced back and forth and Cid leaned against a wall. She and Aerith had come over to Cid's house where she had told both of them the news. The news about Leon disappearing.  
  
"Oh, where could he be?" Aerith worried, and continued pacing.  
  
"Anywhere." Cid said. He knew about all the worlds out there. Leon could be at any one of them.  
  
Yuffie let her gaze drop back down to the bed. Usually she wouldn't let things like this get to her, but she really was worried about Leon. And not only because some strange liquid of darkness had carried him off somewhere, either.  
  
Yuffie had noticed that Leon had become depressed lately. She seemed to be the only one who noticed because she spent a lot of time around Leon. But lately he had looked depressed. He was daydreaming a lot, and seemed to be reflecting on memories. Yuffie knew Leon was a mysterious guy and hard to figure out, but she didn't think that Leon normally acted like this. He almost never noticed Yuffie lately. She didn't like seeing him like that.  
  
She could remember perfectly how Leon had disappeared. She was so sorry. How could she not be able to do anything to help? She had just let her best friend get carried off like that. The reason she had run to Leon was to warn him of the darkness, but she had been to slow. She had also been to slow when Leon was sinking down. If only she had gone faster . . . But no, she couldn't save him. She beat herself up mentally for that.  
  
"Come on kid. Cheer up, its not your fault." Cid seemed to know what Yuffie had been thinking. But Yuffie disagreed with him.  
  
A series of noises brought both of their attention back to Aerith. She was packing some clothes into a bag. After the clothes were packed she walked into the kitchen and reappeared a few minutes later with some boxes and cans of food. She packed these into the bag. Yuffie and Cid only watched her go back and forth and pack things.  
  
"So . . . uh . . . watcha doin'?" Cid asked.  
  
Aerith stopped packing. She closed up the bag and strapped it to her back. "Well, I'm going to go find Leon." She said politely.  
  
"What?!" Cid and Yuffie asked. Yuffie still wasn't talking, but her facial expression asked the same question.  
  
"I'm going to go find Leon." Aerith said again. "Leon's our friend. I have to find him." With that, she walked out the door.  
  
Cid stood in amazement as the door shut. Yuffie gazed at the door with shining eyes. Maybe . . .  
  
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See, told ya it was short. But I typed enough today. Ch3 didn't come out the way I wanted it to . . . Please review!!!! 


	5. Where are we?

Hello again. Umm, I'm just going to put alittle note up here because of a review I got. Like I said in chapter 1, this story may not follow the games that Cloud and Leon are in because I have never played them before. I do not know about the characters. I have never played Final Fantasy VIII (although I have it, I am just waiting) and I am still on disk one on Final Fantasy VII. Man, I have to get moving on that. Oh yeah, by the way, if anyone has ever played and finished Final Fantasy VII, I need help. I just finished where you get Cid on your team and now I can't figure out where I am supposed to go or do. Do I go to Wutai? What do I do there? Thank you. Please answer in a review if you know. Umm, anyways, back to the story! Sorry it took so long.  
  
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Leon sat up. He decided that he was going to find a way out of this strange place. Picking up his Gunblade, he walked around, staying close to the walls. He figured if he kept his hand on the wall, he could feel for the door in the darkness. It was worth a shot. Leon was not the type to just sit around and let something he was sure was bad happen.  
  
He continued feeling the walls like this. He was sure that soon enough he would feel something like a handle. . . or had he missed it and already gone past it? No, there, he could feel something in the dark. He strained his eyes to see what it was. Sure enough, he had grabbed what looked like a door handle. He turned the handle, but it was locked. Not that it surprised him. He had planned it this way. And he had come prepared.  
  
Leon gathered his energy and swung the Gunblade against the door with all his might. It met with the door and a loud crack was heard. Leon was sent staggering back alittle by all the force. The door had not broken down, but it was severely damaged. Leon could see streams of light coming into the room from the other side of the door. One more hit should bring the door down and allow Leon access out of there. He gathered his strength again, and slammed the Gunblade against the already mess of a door. With a loud noise the door went tumbling down. Finally, Leon thought to himself, now to find out whoever brought me here and teach them a lesson.  
  
As Leon walked out of the dark room and into the light, he took a good look around. He was now in a brightly lit hallway. There were two directions to go, left or right. Either way looked like it went on for quite some time, but there were doors leading off to other places. Leon couldn't see very far in either direction though because the hallway seemed to bend as though it went around in a circle. He had to pick- left, or right.  
  
He decided to go right. He didn't have any reason to, and no guess of what went right, but then again, he didn't know anything about the left direction, either. So with his weapon in hand, he started off down the hallway.  
  
As he walked down the hallway it occurred to him that he wasn't sure what exactly he was looking for. He knew that there wasn't going to be a sign saying "Evil guy this way" or anything. So how would he know where he was going? Along the hallway there were doors to either side of him. He had no idea where any of them went or what they lead to, but something about them told him that they weren't what he was looking for. So what was he looking for? He soon found out.  
  
As he continued down the hall, he noticed it was still going on as if it went in a circle. When he rounded the corner, he saw what he was looking for. The hallway abruptly stopped. Where it stopped was a large pair of double set doors. The doors where mostly gray, but something about them told him that what he was looking for was inside.  
  
Leon prepared himself for whatever could be inside. He made sure he was ready to fight at any warning, and gripped his Gunblade firmly. Walking up to the door, he reached for the handle. A thought suddenly sped across his mind. Did he really want to do this? Did he really want to know what was inside? He could always just turn back and look for an exit and get out of here. But no, he thought to himself, he was going to go inside and see what was going on here. He was no coward.  
  
With that thought of courage, he grabbed the handle and threw the door open. He looked at what was inside. Once more, it was dark. But this time it was not empty. The lights inside were dimmed so Leon could make out what was inside. Lots of tables. Tables with computers on them and bottles of things. Others had piles of junk on them. In the center of the room was a big machine. It was circular, like some kind of tube, but not clear. It had a small door to it, but Leon couldn't figure out what it would be used for. From the windows on the machine Leon could see that it was filled with some kind of smoke. Blinding flashes of light sparked from it every couple of seconds. The room looked like it was some kind of laboratory. But it wasn't unoccupied.  
  
Leon looked and saw to his amazement a man standing in the room next to the machine. He had his back turned to Leon, but Leon knew the man knew he was in the room. Slowly the man turned to face Leon and gave him a wicked smirk. His features surprised Leon.  
  
The man was a bit taller than Leon. He had long black hair, and his eyes had some kind of unrealism to them. They were strange, and Leon was not sure of their color, but they were defiantly evil. Leon could tell the man had joined the dark side, or maybe he was born into it. The man had no shirt on, which showed that he was very fit and in shape, and black pants. All in all he looked only around 25. The air around him was evil. (A/N: For those of you who watch Inuyasha, picture Naraku. Naraku is so cool, but I can't watch it anymore because stupid cartoon network had to put it on weeknights and then they took it off. What, did the show end? I hope not. Anyways, for those of you who don't watch Inuyasha, sorry to bother you and back to the story! ^_^;;)  
  
"Hmm. So it looks like the little prisoner found his way out of his cage." The man smirked. Leon could see by the look in his eyes he was just toying with him.  
  
"So you're the one who brought me here!" Leon shouted. The man once again just gave a wicked smile and nodded. "Well, why?!" Leon shouted out again. He was angry by the way the man just stood there and acted coolly as if Leon was not threat to him.  
  
"I had some things I needed to take care of."  
  
"And how does that involve me?" Leon made sure the man could see his Gunblade, ready to strike.  
  
The man looked at the Gunblade for a minute, but his expression did not change. "You were about to see soon enough. I expected no less of you. A locked door would not keep you in one place, would it?"  
  
Leon wished the man would start to make sense. What was he here for? Did it have something to do with that machine?  
  
The man saw Leon's confused expression. "You're depression lead the Heartless to you." He started to explain. "The Heartless lead you here. As you may have already guessed, I work with the Heartless. No, that is a bad way to put it. The Heartless work for me!" He smiled again at this point. "I am not weak like the others I knew. Most who join the Heartless get taken over by the darkness in their hearts, and become darkness. Darkness comes to control them. They lose the battle for their souls. But I am different. I am strong enough to control the darkness. It will not overtake me like the others."  
  
This time it was Leon's turn to smile. "You're wrong. Everybody's wrong. Everyone who has come to work to control the darkness has said that. And not one has ever come to master it. You're just like all the rest." The man gave an evil laugh. Leon frowned. "But that still doesn't explain why I'm here. You just kept me here because this is where the Heartless brought me?"  
  
"Ha ha. No, I called the Heartless to take you from your little town. Like I said before, it was the depression in your heart that made you stand out. I've found that those depressed are more easily taken over to darkness. They lose themselves to the darkness. Their souls are taken over by it, and are bent to it's will. They become mind-controlled by the darkness and do it's bidding." Leon's eyes widened. "That's right. That's why you're here. I figured someone with your strength would be very useful to me. Once I control you."  
  
Leon now knew why he was here. This man had been planning to use Leon to fight for him once he somehow converted his mind to the darkness. Leon gasped as he pictured himself running into Traverse Town, bringing armies Heartless with him. Picturing himself bringing out his Gunblade, and attacking the people of Traverse Town that he had once fought to protect from the very same force. Himself going after Cid, Aerith, and Yuffie . . . No! He couldn't let that happen. And he wasn't about to.  
  
With a growl Leon jumped into the air and swung the Gunblade down onto the man. To Leon's surprise the man jumped up out of the way with incredible speed. As Leon landed alittle off balance, the man sped back up and punched Leon in the head. Leon was again shocked, not only by the man's speed but by the power of his punch. He knew the guy had exercised, but not this much. But Leon recovered himself and got onto attacking position again. Once Leon had spotted the guy, he ran up and swung the Gunblade again. The man was in a corner, so Leon was sure he had no where he could jump to. But once again the man surprised Leon. He jumped up. In all his life, Leon had never seen anyone jump as high as that man did right then. When the man came back down, he delivered a kick to Leon's head. Leon flew across the room and crashed into a few tables.  
  
"Hmm. It's a pity. I thought a great fighter like Squall would put up more of a fight than that. I don't even have to use any of my weapons." The man smirked. He walked up to where Leon had fallen.  
  
'Weapons!' Leon thought. 'This guy has weapons?!?'  
  
The man pulled Leon up by the neck of his shirt. "This wasn't even a real fight." He said, and held his other hand close to Leon's face. As Leon looked in horror, a black light started glowing in the hand. "Goodnight Squall." The energy ball shot out at Leon, and it was more than enough to knock him out.  
  
7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7- 7-7-7-7-7-  
  
Cloud opened his eyes. Where was he? The last thing he could remember was that cell. . . He sat up and looked around. He saw that he was in a dark room. There was a door up ahead. Once he saw all this, he suddenly remembered that everything before - the cell, the girls, and that man - had just been a dream. Well, that made things make more sense, but where was he now? Then he remembered that he head been walking on the road and some weird black stuff had pulled him down. So that black stuff must have taken him here.  
  
Cloud looked at the door. Should he go through? He knew that he would probably find something that would answer some questions on the other side. And he wasn't just going to sit in this tiny room forever. So, he got up, grabbed the handle, and opened the door. What he found on the other side kind of amazed him.  
  
On the other side of the door, there was a large room. It was dimly lit, but Cloud could see what was inside. There was junk scattered all over the place. The junk was made up of many books just thrown around, some old food, and bottles. It looked like someone had lived in here for a couple of days. Or maybe they were still living here. In the center of the room Cloud could see somebody.  
  
The guy was tall, much taller than Cloud. He was also much older than Cloud, looking about 35. He wore some kind of long white coat, that made Cloud think he looked like a scientist. He also wore sunglasses, and had semi-long white hair. The man turned to face Cloud.  
  
"Alright, who are you and what are you doing?" Cloud asked. He took the kind of tone that made you think twice not to mess with him.  
  
"What do you think your doing?" the man asked back.  
  
"I want to know why I'm here, cause I know I didn't bring myself here." Cloud took out his sword. He didn't like this guy one bit.  
  
"Well, I believe the Heartless brought you here. And for a reason." The guy said. Cloud just stared at him. "Ha, I thought they would bring you here, so that is why I came."  
  
"You knew about the Heartless taking me somewhere?" Cloud asked, still not getting out of his fighting stance. "Well, how?"  
  
"You are impatient and should be taught a lesson." The man said. Cloud struggled to keep himself under control and not attack the guy. He did NOT like this guy at all. Something about him. . . "I told the Heartless to bring you here, you fool. For a simple test."  
  
"Test?!" Cloud asked. "Hey listen, I don't want to be bothered by some maniacs tests, alight? I know that if you can tell the Heartless to do stuff and they do it for you, then your probably not on my good side."  
  
"The tests have already begun." The man smiled.  
  
"Wha. . ." Cloud wondered. And then it pulled together. The tests had already begun. . . "You're the one who sent me those dreams, aren't you?!" Cloud was enraged now. The man only nodded and continued smiling. Cloud didn't like his smile.  
  
"It's a test on the mind and heart of a person. Your dream was the first step."  
  
Cloud was pissed at this guy. Those dreams had been like hell to him. "Well then, choosing me as the test subject was your own mistake." Cloud showed the man that he was ready to attack, daring him to even try defending himself. The guy made no such move, which puzzled Cloud. But even so, this guy was not getting any mercy.  
  
With a yell, Cloud took his sword and started his attack. He right away used his Sonic Blade attack and sliced towards the man. To Cloud's astonishment, the man still didn't make a move. Not even flinch. But whatever he was planning, it was to late for Cloud to do much about it. He couldn't stop the Sonic Blade attack now. Cloud ripped the air heading towards the man with extreme power. But right as the blade touched the man, Cloud felt some kind of weird sensation. As he watched, his blade went right through the guy. But not through him as if through his skin. It just went through him as if he were transparent, some kind of ghost. And after the blade went Cloud. Cloud gasped as he went through the man. It felt, so weird. What the hell was this guy?  
  
As Cloud's attack came to an end, Cloud stopped at the corner of the room. He looked at the man with confused expression. He started to feel dizzy, and the world around him started to swirl together. Whatever that guy was made of, it was making Cloud sick. He could just make out the man smiling again as his world began to blacken. He had a terrible headache all of a sudden.  
  
"Sorry. I guess you couldn't even take one hit at me. Strange, isn't it? It's one of my special attacks." Cloud listened to the man talk as he began to feel weaker and dropped to his knees. "You can't touch me as long as I use it. And trying, as you can see, only backfires into you losing conciseness."  
  
Cloud dropped to the ground. He couldn't take it anymore. He blacked out.  
  
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Oh man, it was Cloud's part that was shorter this time. Oh well, I tried. Pretty good for not writing it out on paper first this time, huh? Well actually, I don't know if that chapter was good. . . So please review and tell me. And D.H. you had better not say that that was short again!!!! But please review anyways ^_^;; And don't worry everyone our heroes will be outta that place in no time! (next chapter, or maybe the one after that) Sorry that there's not a whole lot of action yet, but there will be coming up soon! And the story will have more of a plot to it to! Man, I'm dissing my own fic. That's probably not good. Please R&R!!!!!!!! 


	6. It begins

Hi there folks! Well, guess what? Yeah, that's right, it's a NEW CHAPTER! I haven't updated this in, what, a year? Well, my friend was bugging me, and so I finally decided to do chapter 6. Um, would you please review? I'm not sure if this chapter is any good, 'cause I'm not sure but my writing style seems to have changed over the year. . . Er, why am I ranting? Here is chapter 6. 1 more thing, I fixed the whole Laguna thing I screwed up in by changing the name to Seifer. I wasn't writing this 'cause I was so embarrassed! But now I feel better. ^^;; Well, see ya!  
  
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Cloud slowly opened his eyes. Where was he? His head felt terrible, and moving his eyes to look around made him dizzy. But he could tell that he was lying on his back, looking up towards the ceiling. His head started to clear, and he realized it was the ceiling of that room he had been in before. . .  
  
The room! Everything came flooding back at once: the man, the odd room, the Heartless, and then attacking the man and blacking out. The dream itched at the back of his mind again as well, but he couldn't spend time thinking about it, not now. He needed to know the situation. Looking around again, he noticed that he wasn't lying on the floor, but instead seemed to be on a table. But he hardly noticed that at all compared to what was around him.  
  
The junk piled on the tables now appeared even messier, if that was possible. The stacks of books and papers scattered around had been tipped over. Broken bits of glass that had once been jars lay on the tables and floor and the liquid contents soaked the papers. Some of the tables were on their side. It looked as if there had been some kind of fight. There was more reason to believe that a fight had taken place than just the mess all over the place.  
  
Cloud's eyes widened in shock as he saw smears of red on the one of the walls. There was blood on the floor in some spots, as well. The dim lighting made the color look even darker, but you could still see it. Cloud raised his head a bit higher, even if his head was not fully clear, and he could see more blood in other places in the room. The room now told him there had not only been a fight, but it had been a sort of struggle.  
  
'But, who fought?' Cloud wondered. 'And who won?' What had happened while he wasn't awake? He fully alerted himself, knowing he should get on the defense in case someone was still here. But he couldn't move his right arm. 'What?' Cloud looked down at it, and saw it was held down to the table by a leather strap. His legs were held down in the same fashion. 'What the heck?'  
  
Looking at his left arm, he saw there was also a restraining device, but it was cut, allowing it free movement. 'What. . . the hell? That man must have put me here, that sick. . . So he was a scientist. But why is one of my arms free, then?' Cloud sat up as most he could and began to free himself with his left arm.  
  
Cloud got off the table and looked around again. 'Where's my sword?' He spotted it in a corner of the room, and quickly ran over to it. Now that he was armed, he could explore and find out what the heck was going on. 'What if that guy is still here? I can't defeat him like this. . .! But maybe it was him who was attacked.' He walked cautiously through the room, and reluctantly went over to a spot where the blood seemed to be most.  
  
Behind one of the tables, hidden in shadow, was a body. Cloud gasped and instantly held his Buster Blade ready, but the body did not move. He realized it was that guy from before. He was. . . dead. Cloud's eyes widened in astonishment.  
  
Someone, or something, had come in here and had a fight with that man. And killed him. But how? Whatever it was, it must have been powerful to take that guy out like that. As Cloud looked closer at the man, he saw that most of the blood was dried. This had happened a while ago. But who. . . And why?  
  
Suddenly something clicked in Cloud's mind. 'My left arm. . .' He ran over to the table he had been held down on, and looked at the left hand restraint. "It's. . . It was cut! A clean slice from a sword, by the looks of it." That meant. . .  
  
Whoever had killed the man had also freed Cloud. But there was still something fishy. . . 'Whoever did it, is he really on my side? It would seem as if he would still be here if he meant any real help. Somehow, this smells like a trap instead. Is this guy my friend or enemy?' Still, he couldn't just sit in this room forever. He needed answers.  
  
Sitting down on a table, Cloud got to thinking. Eventually his thoughts came to that dream he had had. Those girls. . . They were both so familiar. And that one guy. There was something about him, too. He strained his brain, demanding that it tell him who they were, but of course nothing came up. He put his head in his hands, not yet giving up.  
  
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Leon slowly opened one eye. He resisted the urge to close it again; his eyelids felt so heavy. Slowly, he struggled to lift his head. His vision was a bit blurry, and the dark blue of the barely-lit room mixed everything together. He closed his eyes again.  
  
'Where am I?' He wondered in his head. 'I have to clear my head. . . Or else I'll never get anywhere. Alright. . . where am I?' He thought back, and suddenly recalled that black haired man, that strange man that seemed inhuman. 'Him!' Leon's body seemed to be slowly waking up. He opened his eyes again. 'I blacked out, so where am I now?'  
  
Looking around slowly- if the man was still here, Leon didn't want him to know he was awake yet- he looked at his surroundings. It appeared he was in a different room. Leon seemed to be sitting in a corner of the room on the floor. There was something next to him. With shock, he realized it was his Gunblade. 'Why. . . is that here? I thought that whoever the guy was, he wouldn't want me to be armed. Or maybe he thinks I'm not a threat.' That last thought was filled with anger. Leon could remember how confident the man had seemed even when Leon had attacked him.  
  
Leon quickly ran his eyes over the room again. No one else was in it. Standing up, he grabbed his Gunblade and began to walk further into the room. He was careful to note the surroundings. There was one large table in the middle of the room, like a desk. It had some small stacks of papers on it, but most were scattered about. There was a chair to the desk as well, though it was tipped over and lying on its side. It seemed almost as if someone had been in here, but had left in a hurry. Leon also noticed a door on the wall across from him.  
  
He carefully made his way to the door. Something near by on the wall caught his eye. A crack. It looked as if something had hit into it pretty hard. By why was that of any importance? 'It could've been there before.' Leon told himself. 'Stop picking over every detail.'  
  
He turned around from the door, back to the desk. If there was anything that could help him on there, he would find it. He glanced at the papers- anything of use could be written on them. As Leon read some of them, they didn't make much sense. They all talked about something he had never heard of before. He looked at one that seemed to be written in handwriting instead of computer type. This one he did understand, or at least more than he could make out of the others.  
  
It talked about the Heartless. It seemed to be a report on all the observations made about the darkness and the Heartless. It reminded him of Ansem's Report, but this was different. As Leon read the report, his eyes grew wider with each word. This man, if he was the one who had written this, really DID know a lot about the Heartless. More information then he had ever seen was right in this packet of papers.  
  
Leon realized he couldn't read it all. There wasn't enough time, and he had to be on his guard- he still didn't know where he was. Leon glanced to the bottom of the page and found what he was looking for: a name. The report was signed, Ordeon. Leon smirked. He now knew a name, and that was the first step.  
  
He walked back to the door and prepared to grab the handle. His hand carrying his Gunblade gripped the hilt of his sword tightly. His other hand paused in front of the handle. This was it. If someone was behind that door, he could blow his only chance of escape by doing this. But if he stayed in this room, it was only a matter of time until the owner came back. He grabbed the handle, brought up his Gunbalde, and threw the door open.  
  
On the other side of the door was. . . nothing. It was a hallway, again barely lit by a few lights. It seemed to stretch on for a while, but he couldn't see how far due to the shadows. 'Well, here we go.' Leon thought to himself. He began walking down the hallway.  
  
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Ok, so how was it? Heh, I'd like to know. So, thanks for reading! Please review!!!!! 


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